A Christmas Wish
by CSISaraSidle72
Summary: Olivia's daughter could end up disfurged or dead after a battle with a long illness, and all she wants to do is meet her father.  Olivia plans on fulfilling that wish, one way or another, no matter what!   E/O
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Just to let everyone know, every story I have will be finished as soon as I can get to them (since none of them are finished, LOL). The reason they aren't is, after my computer went haywire and I had to do a recovery on it, I lost everything, but luckily I do have paper notes somewhere, because I always try to write everything out before typing it on the computer. Unfortunately, my room (but looks more like an office) is a mess and I haven't been able to locate any of the notes, as of yet. At least not the ones that I posted early on, which is mostly my CSI stories. Every other story I'll be able to finish when things become less hectic. However, the reason for this story is, I wanted to start a new one that I got an idea for a couple of nights ago, and also, since it's almost Christmas, I decided to make it my Christmas theme story. I hope everyone likes it, and please leave me reviews because it helps to let me know 1) How I'm doing and 2) If I should continue it.

Background Information: I've changed some dates and ages in this story to help out with it. Olivia Benson was born January 23, 1968 and Elliot Stabler was born October 20, 1966. Kathy Stabler was also born in October of 1966.

Elliot and Kathy married in 1984, and had Maureen Stabler in November of that year. For the purposes of this story, there is no Kathleen. Instead, a son, Nicholas Stabler was born in 1989 and then Dickie and Lizzie followed, born in 1993.

Olivia Benson married a man named Russell Maugham in 1986, just to get away from her alcoholic mother, Serena. They had a daughter, Abigail "Abby" Maugham in April of 1987 and a daughter, Kathryn "Kate" born in January of 1993. Russell abused Olivia almost daily, and she took it for the sake of her children, but when he went to lay a hand on one of them, only a month after Kate was born, she left, taking the kids, and they haven't been seen by Russell, since. After that, she changed her last name and all of her kids' last name back to her maiden name, Benson, hoping that maybe he'd give up and would never find them.

For the purpose of this story, Olivia started working at SVU in 1993. Everyone enjoyed having her there, except Elliot, at first. But soon, even he thawed out and warmed up to her. Everyone treated her kids as their own, even offering to babysit them at the station if she couldn't find anybody else to watch them. Her and Elliot began to get closer when he and Kathy divorced in 1995. He loved her, but wasn't "in love" with her, anymore. They got joint custody, but when he found out that she was drinking and doing drugs when one of the kids told him so, he fought hard to win custody of them. Around that time, he and Olivia shared one night together. One week later, he was awarded custody, but wanted to take them to get away from New York and Kathy, just in case she decided to take the law into her own hands. That was in November of 1996. In December of that year, Olivia found out that she was pregnant with Elliot's baby. She tried to find him to get a hold of him, but she never could. She didn't give up, but she didn't try so often. When his phone number changed, she started mailing letters, but they always returned to her, unopened. On July 14, 1997, Olivia gave birth to another daughter, Carly Josephina Benson. At the time, Olivia was 29, Abby was 10, Noah was 7 and Kate was 4. Olivia decided against telling them who Carly's father was, at least until they were old enough to understand.

Little Carly was a perfect mixture of her father and mother, her eyes being a blue-green color and her hair a much lighter color of brown than the rest of her siblings. And she was healthy...until she turned 5. That year, she'd been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. She stayed in the hospital, went through the treatments, and went into remission a year later. She started maintenance therapy, and completed that when she was 8. Again, she did fine, her hair grew back, and she was healthy...well, as healthy as a sick person could be, anyways. In July of 1998, she turned 11, and she was fine until the end of November. She had a terrible headache and passed out at soccer practice. At the hospital, they ran numerous tests, and found out that, not only had her leukemia returned, but now she had a tumor in her nasal cavities that was pressing against her brain. For her to survive, she'd have to go through chemo again, but now radiation, and would have to have surgery, which could leave her permanently disfigured.

Now it's December 18, 2008. She's been in treatments, off and on, for two weeks, and the hospital may allow her some time to spend at home if she starts responding to the treatment. But, all she wants for Christmas this year is to meet her real father, just in case she is disfigured or worse...in case she doesn't survive this, again, at all.

Olivia is now 40; Abby is 21 and Kate is 15. Carly, of course, is 11.

Elliot is now 42; Maureen is 24, Nicholas is 19, and Dickie and Lizzie are 15.

Kathy is 42, but hasn't seen Elliot or the children since they were taken away from her.

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><p>Olivia had awaken with a start. Looking at the wall, she could see with what little light the hospital room provided, that it was 5:00am. She tried to get comfortable, but it was hard to on the old cot the hospital provided her. She'd been more comfortable in one of the beds in the crib at work, but she refused to leave her daughter's side, right now.<p>

Her thoughts went back to the night before. Her oldest daughter, Abby, had just returned from college. She would've been home sooner, but she worked on campus and needed to stay to see it through. She didn't have to go back until the beginning of January, so Olivia found it handy to have her around. She didn't feel the need of having to rush home to make sure her other daughter, Kate, wasn't doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. At fifteen, Kate was mature in some ways, but immature in others. Olivia thought that Kate resented Carly for being sick, but knew the teenager would never voice that opinion for fear of hurting her baby sister's feelings.

Olivia sighed, looking at the hospital bed. There, in the dark, Carly lay, cuddling her favorite teddy bear. Olivia smiled. That was her favorite stuffed animal out of the hundreds she had. Olivia had given it to her on her very first night in a hospital, when she was a frightened little girl. Carly had been five at the time, but the present from her mother had made her smile, so the little girl had decided to name the bear Wivy, after her mother. At the age of five, she could say her L words, but the medicine she was on made her mess up and slur some of her words. Carly had been embarrassed, but her mother told her it was cute. After she got better, Carly decided to keep the name Wivy, and never changed it.

Olivia jumped as she heard a noise. She looked back to Carly, who was tossing and turning. Olivia was afraid that she would wake up, but remembered the medicine she was given the night before. It was to calm her down and take away her pain. She'd been asleep in no time. Now, looking at Carly, she hoped it still held true. After a few moments, Carly's body stopped it's movements. She was facing her mother, but she never woke up. Olivia could hear the even breathing, and sighed in relief. Carly needed all the sleep she could get.

Olivia stood up, walking to the window. Looking out, she saw snow on the ground about four stories below. Christmas lights decorated the town, brightening up the dismal city, but Olivia still felt down, like she'd never be happy again. She knew why. Christmas was all of her kids' favorite time of year, especially Carly's. They had a big bash at their house that would last, sometimes, far into the night or early hours of dawn. And now, this year, Carly more than likely wouldn't be home for Christmas. She wouldn't have her tree or lights, or her friends and family...or her father. Olivia shivered, feeling cold but knowing she shouldn't be. After Carly's fever last night, they'd turned the heat up in her room because she'd been complaining that she was cold. The dial said seventy-two degrees, but it didn't feel that way to Olivia. She decided to put on her coat, and pulled a chair next to Carly's bed so she could be the first thing her daughter saw when she woke up.

Over the next two hours, Olivia was in thought about what to do for Carly to make this Christmas one that she would always remember—happily, as long as she lived. Carly wasn't in isolation, so Olivia could still bring things to her room. She made out a list: a four-foot Christmas tree, two strings of lights, one gold and one multicolored. Some garland...tinsel...ornaments of Carly's from their house. Christmas CD's and Carly's player...her winter wonderland figurines. Olivia thought for a long time until the page was almost full. She needed to get this done, and she needed to find someone who could do this for her, because she feared leaving Carly for too long.

But Olivia still didn't know what to do about Carly's one wish, the only special wish she wanted this Christmas: to meet her real father. Olivia had called him for a long time, but when Carly had turned one and she'd called, the phone service said his number was out-of-order. She sent letters, but they all came back unopened with the stamp, "return to sender." She even tried to find him, along with everyone else at SVU. Zilch...zip...nada...nothing. His fifth child had been alive for eleven years, and he had yet to meet her. Burning up inside thinking about this, Olivia was furious. He had left without a single call or letter to her, basically cutting off all ties. But Olivia couldn't stand for this, any longer. Their daughter had a chance that she may not even survive to next Christmas, so if it was the last thing Olivia ever did, she'd find Elliot, so her daughter could meet the one man she'd been talking about for months.

Olivia began formulating a plan. When Carly awoke, she would call a nurse to come and sit with her, knowing that she shouldn't disturb Abby and Kate, just yet. Abby would be tired and Kate was just tired of everything, so Olivia wanted to keep them out of this as long as possible. Later, after getting the things on her list, she would go and see Cragen to try and fulfill the only wish on Carly's list: the chance to meet her father, before time ran out on her.

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><p>Okay, so my note and background info were longer than my story, for a change, but it was necessary. The next chapter should be longer, but this one, for the most part, I'm making up as I go along.<p>

Please review and let me know if you like it, if I should continue, etc. I should have some of my other stories updated within the next few days.

~*Missy*~


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia left the hospital at a quarter to ten. Carly had woken up, feeling even more tired, and had told her mother that she didn't have any scarves for Christmas. Olivia promised her that she would buy all that she could find, kissed her cheek, and left. On her way out, she reminded herself that she had to be back no later than two. Carly was having a chemo treatment this afternoon, and while Olivia wasn't allowed to go down with her for the treatments, she wanted to be there when Carly returned to her room.

Olivia decided to stop by her house, first. It was a homey little place in the city that had four bedrooms, an office, and a spacious back yard that held a clubhouse that Olivia had bought for Carly right after her first diagnosis when she was five. The little girl had been able to come home sometimes, and Olivia allowed only Carly and one other friend in it, as exposure to too many germs could land her right back in the hospital, where the little girl didn't want to be.

Olivia walked up the steps, unlocked the door, and was surprised to find her oldest daughter, Abby, in the kitchen. Olivia smiled as the twenty-one year-old woman was busily cooking breakfast. She laid her purse on the table, and leaned up against the counter. Abby turned to look at her with a small smile. "I didn't know you'd be home this early, mom," Abby said as she went back to cooking.

"Well, I needed to do a few things before I headed back to the hospital," Olivia replied, then asked, "Why so much food? You don't eat enough to keep a bird alive, and Kate's not going to get up this early."

The older girl shook her head as she turned off the stove and started dishing out servings on a plate, covering them up with aluminum foil. "I was planning on bringing some food to the hospital, for you and Carly to eat." The woman turned to face her mother. "You know that Carly hates hospital food." Abby scrunched up her face in disgust, mimicking her younger sister's disapproval of hospital food.

Olivia found herself laughing for the first time, in what seemed like years. "Yeah, she hates it alright." Olivia thought to herself for a moment, before deciding to involve Abby in her plan. "There's something I'm wanting to do for Carly, but she can't know and neither can Kate." Abby nodded in agreement before Olivia handed her a list.

Abby scanned over the list, smiling to herself. "Carly will love this, mom." Then, looking at her mother, she noticed how tired she was. Seeing the bottom of the list, she regarded her mother with slight sympathy. It wouldn't be easy finding Carly's dad, but she knew her mother would try, even if it killed her. That's when Abby decided something. "Aren't Carly's chemo treatments usually at 12:30 or 1:00?" she asked her mother, who nodded. "Then I will take over this list, and you go see Grandpa Don," she noted affectionately. The Captain at SVU had been like a grandfather to them all over the years, especially to Carly. He would stop at nothing to make his little "Butterfly" happy.

Olivia looked concerned for a moment. "But what about Kate?" she asked, voicing the one concern she had on her mind. Kate loved her little sister, when she was healthy, but when she was sick, she could be downright mean to the young girl.

"I'll lock her in her room," Abby said with a straight face. Olivia's eyebrows raised in shock, and that's when Abby started laughing, and Olivia could see that what she said was meant as a joke, and nothing else. "I'll call my friend, Vanessa McIntyre, and see if she can sit for a while. I'll explain everything to her." Abby thought it odd that a fifteen-year-old needed a babysitter, but Kate did. When Abby had been fifteen, she remembered taking care of a nine-year-old Katie while five-year-old Carly was in the hospital. Abby couldn't figure out why Kate treated the poor girl so meanly, but then Abby had been older when she had to come to terms with it. Kate, in essence, had still been a child, forced to grow up far too quickly.

It took a few moments of thought for Olivia to finally agree. She bid her daughter farewell, and left the house, jumping into her car. Thirty minutes later, she was in the SVU squad room. Not many things had changed since her first arrival here. Only some of the technology had changed, and a few faces, but the ones that meant most to her were still here. Well, except for Elliot's.

Fin saw her first and hugged her. "Hey baby girl," he said, before pulling back and examining her quickly. "When's the last time you slept?"

Olivia smiled sweetly over her "over-protective big brother," and lightly hit him on the arm. "Thanks a lot," she said jokingly. "Do I really look that bad?" She was acting so serious, that Fin had a look on his face as if he'd just told her information that she shouldn't know. Finally, Olivia laughed and Fin, finally catching that it all had been an act, laughed too.

After a few moments of talking with Fin and Munch, Olivia finally asked, "Is Cragen in his office?"

Munch regarded her with his ever-so-serious look, and asked, "Isn't he always?"

They all giggled at that, and finally Olivia left the small group, heading over to her Captain's office, knocking on the door. "Come in," he called. Olivia did as she was told, closing the door behind her. Cragen looked up and, after seeing who it was, gave her one of his "what in the hell are you doing here, today?" looks. Olivia smiled sheepishly, and took a seat across from his desk.

After a few thoughtful moments on deciding how she should tell him, Olivia finally simply stated, "I need to find Elliot."

Cragen leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his chest. "I see." He took a few thoughtful moments to himself, before sitting up, looking over the desk at Olivia. He knew all about Carly's ordeal with cancer and how she was fighting it. He was sure she'd survive, but the nagging feeling that invaded him over the past month, telling him she wouldn't, had caused him to lead a search of his own. Without telling Olivia, that is. "Olivia," he said after a few moments. "Do you know of a girl named Vanessa McIntyre?"

Olivia searched her memory, trying to remember that name. Then it came to her. Abby's friend, who was coming over to watch Kate today while Abby ran errands for her mom. "Yeah, Vanessa is Abby's friend from school. What about her?"

Cragen looked at her seriously. "They both go to Hudson, don't they?" When Olivia nodded, he continued, "I've been checking on some things myself, here lately. I visited Carly last week, when you were down at the gift shop, and told her not to tell you. She told me that she wanted me to find her father." Olivia nodded. It'd been no secret who Carly's father was. Olivia never hid that fact from them...only from Kate and Carly. Abby was old enough at the time to know who he was, but all Kate and Carly knew was that their father's weren't the same, and Carly's father had been much nicer than Kate and Abby's father. Carly knew he was nice, was a detective, but she never knew his name.

After a moment, Cragen sighed. "I've spent a long while deciding how to tell you this, but I don't really know how to word it, so here goes." After a moment, Cragen looked Olivia in the eye and said, "Vanessa McIntyre is friends with more than just your daughter. She's also friend's with Maureen and Nicholas, who also attend Hudson, Nicholas only for a little over a year."

Olivia scrunched her face to remember, and then suddenly, she did. Maureen Stabler and Nicholas Stabler...they'd only been twelve and seven respectively, when Olivia saw them last. Suddenly, the news made her feel as if her heart would stop, and she needed to know. "And Elliot?"

Cragen sighed, flipping through some papers on his desk. "I got his address this morning, and thought I'd pay him a visit. Seems he's been where nobody would've known, for quite some time now."

Olivia was confused, until Cragen handed her a sheet of paper, that had his name, his occupation, his address. Her face took on a bit of confusion and shock when she read the address out loud, "72-12 Castleside Street. Glen Oaks Queens, NY." As she remembered that address, she knew something had to be wrong. "Are you sure this is right, Don? I mean, maybe it's not up-to-date or they just put the wrong address in."

Cragen shook his head, angry at Elliot for coming back and not contacting them sooner. "No, it's all correct. His mother passed away two years ago, and he came back, setting up her funeral arrangements and opening up his old house to live in, again." He took a few moments, looking at Olivia, hating to tell her this, but just having to. "I know it's correct, because he's now working with the police department in Glen Oaks...he's a homicide detective, now."

Olivia felt her blood boil over this. Two years ago was one of her last attempts at relocating him. She'd also known about his mother's death, and had tried to get a hold of him in the hopes that she could tell him about Carly. But, as usual, things didn't pan out for her the way that they should've.

"So, he's been back in New York for two years, and never once tried to contact me," Olivia said angrily, taking the piece up paper, balling it up and throwing it at the wall. She stood, and paced, trying to calm her nerves. She tried to tell herself that if he'd been out of state, she'd been more understanding and accepting of his decision. But now, he'd been in New York for two years, and never once tried to contact any of them. This, right here, made her furious with him.

Cragen nodded, taking in a deep breath before going on. "I'm sorry Olivia, but it's the truth. However, Maureen and Nicholas, I'm sure, remember you, as well as Abby, which is one of the reasons they befriended her and Vanessa. Something tells me that Elliot's kids know about their younger sister, but he doesn't." Olivia's tirade stopped cold as she looked at her Captain, Carly's honorary grandfather, and sat down. She knew he had to have been just as pissed off as she was, if that was at all possible, because she was pretty pissed, but he was just hiding his anger well. Too well, as a matter-of-fact.

Olivia took a moment to catch her breath, as she began to see the situation at hand in a new light. "Elliot doesn't know, but his kids do," she said, speaking her words out loud for Cragen to hear. "Do you think they're just trying to gather enough information before telling him?"

Cragen nodded. "That's what I was beginning to suspect," he replied, then quickly added, "but I don't like it one bit. It's one thing to befriend Abby and Kate and try to find out things, but I'll be damned if they go around Carly and try to get things out of her, or worse...try to give her false hope."

Olivia knew that Donald was right, and she also knew that he'd do anything to protect Carly, just as she herself would. Cragen got up quickly, grabbing his coat and heading to his door. Olivia followed, until Cragen turned to stop her. "I want you to go back to the hospital and be with Carly," he told her sincerely. Just as if she were chasing a perp, Cragen knew she wanted to be involved, but Carly's safety and emotional well-being were too much at risk to leave her at the hospital, with no sincere protection. "I'll call you as soon as I can, with news and updates. I need to see how his kids found out about Carly, and I need to see him." Olivia tried to protest, but Cragen cut her off, holding up his hand in defense. "I won't tell him about Carly. What I _will _tell him is that he needs to contact you, ASAP."

They both were ready to head out the door until Olivia stopped him, pulling on his arm. Cragen looked back at the woman who he considered a daughter to him. Her eyes were filled with terror and fear, and she looked as if she might cry and break down at any given moment. Finally, she spoke, her voice shaky and uneven, not at all like her. "But what if he doesn't want to contact me?"

Cragen looked at her with much determination. He put his hands on her shoulders, and looked right at her, almost seeing her break down right before his very eyes. "If he doesn't _want _to, then I'll _make _him."

Olivia nodded after a moment, wiping a stray tear from her eye as they both left the office, going their separate ways. And their exit did not go unnoticed, as the entire squad room stopped and, as soon as they were gone, two of the most seasoned SVU detectives looked at one-another.

"Do you think they know where he is, now?" Munch asked his partner, looking him in the eye, as they were the only two detectives there who knew who _he _was.

"I know they do," Fin replied, holding a manilla folder that was stacked with information on the case they were both looking on. He looked towards the door, then looked back at Munch, his dark eyes serious. "And I hope he gets his ass gets kicked for not coming back sooner."

With that, they went back to work, hoping that everything for Olivia and Carly worked out like it should. If not, well...Munch and Fin would take care of things, even if they didn't have the Captain's permission. They were close enough to Carly for her to be like their own child, and they'd be damned if anybody ever tried to hurt her, or Olivia, ever again.

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><p>I hope everybody likes this chapter, and please leave me a review! I just came up with this chapter, and literally spent the last hour writing it, so I want to hear from those of you reading it if it's okay or not. Thanks, and I hope everyone enjoyed it!<p>

~*Missy*~


	3. CHAPTER 3

Author's Note: Just to let everyone know, I caved. Yep! I'll be continuing all of my SVU stories, but as of right now, I'm going to try and get A Christmas Wish finished, since, with the title, it kind of needs to be. So, without further ado, here's chapter 3!

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><p>Olivia finally arrived back at the hospital around 12:30. Since she'd been so preoccupied with the information that Don had told her, she'd thought it best not to go straight to the hospital, and just spent her time driving around in her car, thinking. She also picked up some Christmas scarves for Carly, since she told Abby not to bother with it, because she wanted to buy them.<p>

When Olivia got to Carly's room, her bed was empty, but Abby was busily in the corner, working on getting the tree fixed up, having already decorated the rest of Carly's room. The CD player was on her bedside table, along with a bunch of Christmas CD's, and more pictures were around the room of happier times of their little family at Christmas. Suddenly, Olivia remembered Vanessa at her house, with Kate, and she cringed inwardly, wondering what Vanessa and her middle daughter were talking about...but she'd tell Abby and deal with that later on. Now was really not the time nor the place to be worrying about such things as this, which were really out of her control, at this point.

Olivia stood in the doorway, smiling for a few moments before she walked in. "You've really outdone yourself, Abby." She was proud of her eldest daughter, who was acting more and more like a grownup every single day.

Abby turned, giving her mother a modest smile. "It was no big deal, mom. I mean, after all, Carly deserves it." Finishing with the tree, she set an angel ornament to the side, before turning back to her mother. "Carly needs to be the one to put the angel on top."

Olivia nodded, taking a seat on the recliner chair that was right beside Carly's bed. She put a bag on top of it, filled with at least twenty-five scarves. She thought the number fitting, since Christmas was on the twenty-fifth.

Abby stared at her mother for a moment before grabbing a chair, dragging it over. She sighed, looking down at the floor in thought, before she asked, "So what's grandpa Don going to do?"

Olivia bit her lip, looking towards the window. It was beginning to snow again, and at this rate, they wouldn't be rid of the snow that they already had until the first of March. "Apparently, he's been looking for Elliot for a while, now. He's already located him."

Abby looked up at her mother at that, in shock. "Where's he at?"

This is where Olivia felt saddened, that she had to admit to her daughter that, even though, years ago, they shared something special, it apparently didn't mean anything to him, now. "His old house in Queens. He's been back for two years, now." Olivia looked down, the weight of everything now becoming a barrier to her. She hid her eyes with her hand as she silently cried for a moment. This didn't go unnoticed by Abby, who allowed her to but didn't say a word. When Olivia sniffled, signaling she was finished, she said, "He won't be able to stay away for much longer, though."

Abby looked quizzical as she asked, "why...is grandpa Don going to tell him about Carly and beat him into coming back." It was made as a joke, and Abby was awarded when her mother looked back up at her and smiled.

"No sweetie, I wouldn't say that," Olivia replied mysteriously. "However, your grandpa Don has his ways, and they can be persuasive. _Very _persuasive."

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><p>When Don arrived at the two-story house, he looked at it for a few moments. It was older, of course, but didn't look like Elliot was taking proper care of it, at all. Don shrugged...he had more important things on his mind than the state of an old house...or even the state of Elliot, for that matter. The fact that Elliot hadn't at least called Olivia two years before angered him, and he hoped that he could get through this without one hell of a physical confrontation.<p>

Walking up the stairs, he waited on the porch for a moment while he calmed himself down, then rang the doorbell. Even the doorbell sounded sick, and Don wondered what his old subordinate had been doing for the last two years, because he certainly wasn't taking care of things that he should've been.

When the door opened, Don was almost shocked at the sight before him. Elliot had gained a little bit of weight. His eyes looked drained and tired, while his hair was a little bit longer and he had the beginnings of a beard growing on him. Don shook his head, hoping that Elliot's looks weren't going to effect his now-attitude. "Hi Elliot."

"Don," he said flatly. He looked around, almost as if he thought he'd done something, before turning back to his old captain. "What're you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Don said with a huff. It was beginning to get cold what with the wind and all, and he motioned towards the foyer. "May I?"

Elliot looked like he'd rather not have him in, but he stood aside, anyways. "Sure." When the door was shut, Elliot walked towards the living room with Don following right on his tail, almost as if Elliot had a plan to sneak out the back at any minute. Just glancing inside the house and looking around, Don saw that, like Elliot's appearance and the outside shape that the house was in, he hadn't taken care of the inside that much, either. Furniture was damage, a TV was busted, and papers, pizza boxes, cans, and other assorted trash were spread about the room. Elliot flopped onto the couch, picking up a can of beer that he had on the coffee table. "So, what can I do for you?" he finally asked in a bored tone. He gulped his beer, threw the can across the room, and reached for another, which he quickly opened and began chugging.

Don just shook his head, wondering what, if it hadn't been his mother's death, had caused him to go over the edge as much as this. He guessed if Kathy had found him, she could've given him trouble, but he highly doubted that she could've found him without the resources that Don had. Even with those, it had taken a long time to actually be face-to-face with him, again. "I came looking for you," he began, and Elliot rolled his eyes in a sarcastic manner. Don shook it off, trying to stay calm. "It's important!"

For the first time since Don arrived, Elliot looked alarmed. He guess when the police came to his house, even if it was an old friend, it couldn't always be good...or just a social call. "What is it? Is it my kids?"

Don didn't really know what Elliot's kids were like, now, but with the way that Maureen and Nicholas were doing, he knew it couldn't be the greatest. "No."

Elliot sighed in relief, laying back and thinking and then jumped up again. "Is it Liv?"

Now, Don wondered why Elliot had asked that, since he hadn't cared enough in the past twelve years to try and call her or find her, which it wouldn't have been hard because when she had out of her old place, it was barely a long enough drive to rent a decent moving van. Olivia, at least, had a good excuse. Calling and calling, Elliot never answered her and then his number changed. After that, like Don, Olivia had done everything in her power to try and find Elliot, but after a while she just gave up. If it weren't for Carly's persistence on the matter, Olivia would've probably had never delved into it, again.

Finally, after watching Elliot squirm for a few moments, which he hated to admit had given him some perverse pleasure, Don finally said, "Not exactly, but it does have to do with her."

Elliot looked confused at that, and Don did something that he swore to Olivia that he wouldn't do. Only except _telling _him, he'd be _showing _him. Reaching into his jacket pocked, Don pulled out a wallet and then took two pictures out of that. He set then on the coffee table, close enough for Elliot to see.

Elliot looked at them. Both were of the same girl. In one picture, she was smiling widely at the camera for a school photo. Elliot could tell that she belonged to Olivia just by her face. It looked like it could be one Olivia's two daughters, at first, until he looked harder at the picture. For one, she was only eleven, and Liv's daughters had to be in their late teens and early twenties, by now. Another thing...her hair was a dirty blonde color and her eyes were blue, which puzzled Elliot, since Liv had brown eyes and darker hair that was brown. But he could tell that she was Olivia's flesh and blood. "Liv has another daughter." It was a statement, not a question as he looked up at Don, who nodded.

Looking at the other picture he saw the same little girl, the same smile, and the same eyes, but the hair was gone. Almost as if she were proud of it, she was sporting a bald head that had drawings on the top of it, which made Elliot smile, at that. She looked sickly and had no hair, but that didn't seem to bother her, much...at least, not in _that _picture.

Finally, curiosity getting the better of him, he turned the pictures over. On the back of both were different dates, but the same name and age: Carly Josephina Benson, age 11.

Josephina...

One night, Elliot remembered, he and Olivia had been joking around. It was before his divorce became final, and all her kids had been out. He was kissing her, and jokingly, or at least he thought so at the time, she'd said, _"If we ever have a little girl, I'm naming her after you."_

_He'd laughed. "I'm sure she'd go over well with the name Elliot."_

"_No," she'd said seriously. "Your middle name."_

"_Joseph?" he'd asked, confusion setting in. It had caused Olivia to giggle and she playfully slapped him._

"_Yes, but only cuter: Josephina."_

Finally, gulping over what he just now realized, he looked up at Don and sighed. "She's mine."

"Mm-hmm." Don nodded, picking up the pictures to put back but Elliot reached for them, first.

"May I?" he asked, wanting to keep them. Finally, Don caved in and nodded. Elliot picked them up, setting back on the couch as he looked at them in thought. Don wondered about what when, after a few moments, Elliot finally said, "well, everything makes better sense, now."

Don looked up, wondering what he meant by that. "What're you talking about?"

Elliot looked right at him. "Two words: Maureen...Nicholas. I knew they'd been up to something."

Don had wondered about that, too, but the fact that Elliot had caught on so quickly in his state, amazed him. ""What _have _they been up to?"

Elliot shrugged. "Hinting here and there that I should go and see Olivia. That they were both friends with Abby, who went to school with them."

But Don wouldn't let it go that easily. He wanted to know the rest of their plan. "What about Vanessa?"

"She was supposed to get Katie to squeal about something to Maureen and Nicholas, and they were going to bring her here," Elliot replied, trying to shake off the chill that had overcome him. "Just didn't know it'd be something like this."

But Don was wondering exactly _how _Vanessa would get Kate to squeal. It probably wouldn't be hard, since her and Carly weren't on the best of terms, right now, but he still wasn't sure. "What if she wouldn't _squeal_ ?"

Elliot shrugged, wondering that himself. Vanessa could be hot-headed from what he'd seen, but surely she wouldn't hurt Katie. He tried to shake that feeling off, as well. "Oh, I'm not sure. You know how kids can be."

"Yes, I do," Don replied, "and it scares the hell out of me. Now what do you _think _she'd do?"

Elliot looked out the window, as if in thought, before turning back to Don. Terror showed on his face, but he didn't jump right up. "I wouldn't put it past her to _get it out of her,_" he replied, shocked at how his own voice had turned fearful.

That was when Don handed him his coat. "Get your shoes on...quick!"

Elliot was surprised...and confused. "Why?"

Don just looked at him, wondering if their conversation had just _fled _his mind. "Because, Vanessa is babysitting Katie today, and I don't want Liv to have to wonder if she's actually going to lose _two _daughters."

With that, Elliot got ready and they fled the house, not even worrying about the security code. They jumped into Don's SUV and, with Don driving, headed back to the city as fast as his vehicle would go.

* * *

><p>I honestly didn't know where this chapter was going, so I just went with it and was kind of amazed when I was finished. Hope everyone enjoys! Tell me how you like it and, if you have any ideas or comments, I'm always a willing listener ;)<p>

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	4. Chapter 4

Back at the hospital, Olivia and Abby were watching TV. Well, the TV was on, but they weren't actually paying attention to it. Soon, they heard a noise outside the door and saw a gurney being wheeled in. Olivia felt tears spring to her eyes as she saw the still form of her baby girl on that hospital bed. No matter how many times she saw her daughter like this, she'd never be used to it.

But, Olivia did her best to act as if nothing was wrong—for Carly's sake. "Hey baby," she whispered sweetly to Carly. The orderlies tucked her back into her own bed and left with the gurney. Olivia knew that Carly must be sick, so she tried to cheer her up. "Look what your big sister did for you while we were gone."

Abby then acted like Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune, posing as she showed Carly the various Christmas decorations, including the Christmas tree. "I saved the best for last, Carly," Abby said as she sat next to her sister, taking her hand. "When you're feeling up to it, you can put the angel on top of the tree."

Carly's head lolled to one side as she gave her sister a small smile. Olivia bit back a sob as she patted her daughter's bald head. "I also bought you some scarves, but I'll let you look at them and try them on, later." She kissed her daughter's forehead, pulling the blankets up around her chin. "Now how about you get some sleep, and we'll be here for you when you wake up."

Carly closed here eyes. "Love you," was all that she whispered before she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Much to Elliot's surprise, he found himself at the hospital about an hour later instead of at Olivia's house with Cragen. Instead of having Elliot for backup, Don had called him a couple of other detectives to go with him since Elliot no longer worked for the Manhattan PD.<p>

Elliot wrung his hands nervously together as he found the elevator doors soon sliding open. Up ahead was a sign, signaling to him that he was on the pediatric oncology floor. Murals of various cartoon characters passed him by as he walked along the hallway, really not knowing what to do next. He wanted to meet his daughter, the child he'd never known, but at the same time he was nervous as hell. He'd never been there for her, except for giving her life at conception, which hadn't been on his mind, at the time. He knew that Carly not knowing him had never been all his fault...but he sure as hell felt like it was.

He walked along the corridors before realizing that Don had never told him Carly's room number, and him, being the dope that he was, hadn't thought about asking for it. That's when he walked a little bit farther down the hall until he found the nurse's station.

At the nurse's station, he stood impatiently, waiting as a young woman bustled about her work before coming up to him. Elliot noticed that she looked a little young, but he brushed that aside as she spoke. "Can I help you, sir?"

Elliot was nervous as he cleared his throat, saying, "Yeah, I was uh...I was trying to locate a patient, but I seem to have forgotten which room she was in."

The nurse looked suspiciously at him as she stood back, tapping her toe impatiently. "I'm sorry sir, but I just can't give out information like that."

"Look, I'm sorry but...please?" he begged, but saw that it didn't work so he sighed, leaning back. "Her name's Carly Benson...Carly _Josephina _Benson. She's eleven. Her mother's Olivia Benson, and she has two sister's: Abby and Katie."

The young woman looked at him as everything he said washed over her. Finally, she said, "Kate."

Elliot looked up at her, very confused. "Huh?"

"Kate," she said again, a small smile forming on her face. "I made the mistake of calling her Katie, one time, and she nearly bit my head off for it." The nurse typed something on the computer and, without looking up, she asked, "how'd you know Carly's middle name? I mean, that's usually not something a stranger would know."

The words she said hit him hard, almost as if she'd punched him in the jaw. But he kept his anger in check, and let it slide.

After he said nothing, the nurse finally looked up. "I'm sorry, I mean...you might not be a stranger, but I've never seen you here. I'm Carly's main daytime nurse throughout the week, and I've met a whole bunch of people who've come to see her."

Elliot finally smiled up at her, holding no grudge. He shrugged her shoulders. "I just...I haven't been around her like I should've been...that's all." _But that's all going to change, now, _he thought to himself.

"I just have to finish something real quick," she told him, as if needing to explain herself. "I need to see Carly, anyways. She just got back from chemo." When she finished, she walked with Elliot down the long corridor. Finally she stopped and looked straight at him. Realization dawned on her as she asked, "you're Carly's father, aren't you?"

Elliot felt ashamed as he nodded his head. "Yeah. I didn't know Liv was pregnant when I left, or I never would've left. I just...I had to get away," he said, feeling now the need to vent. "I had a lot that was going on, and I couldn't put her or my other kids in harms way."

The nurse nodded. After a moment, she smiled sweetly at him. "I'm Laura, by the way." It was then that he finally noticed her name-tag that indeed said 'Laura' on it. He'd been so hyped up before that he didn't think to look for it. They finally began walking again. "As long as you're here during the week in the daytime, I'll be here."

He smiled at that. "I'm Elliot." After a moment, thought, he sobered some and shrugged his shoulders. That's when he stopped, leaning against the wall and sighing. "I honestly don't think she'll want me here, though. I've never been there for her...never known her. She probably hates me for that."

Remembering Carly confiding in her about wanting to find her dad, Laura found herself shaking her head with a small smile still on her face. "I highly doubt that. You know, she's been planning on a lot of people to find you for weeks...maybe even months, now. Especially since she relapsed," she added sadly, and Elliot found himself nodding solemnly, feeling guilty for his little girl whom he was about to meet.

He gave Laura a moment as she wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Sorry," she silently apologized. Elliot just nodded, giving her some time. "I've just...become very attached to Carly. She's like a little sister to me, and has actually taught me a lot...more than I could ever teach her."

Elliot whispered, "I've heard that cancer can make a child grow up fast."

Laura nodded. "It does. But it hasn't really deterred her spirit. She gets depressed sometimes, but that's to be expected. I'd be more worried if she _wasn't _depressed, know what I mean?"

Elliot only nodded as they walked along. Laura finally stopped in front of a door, as did Elliot. The sign beside the door where the chart was said '419', but on the door was a purple and pink sign, where, in glitter, was the name 'Carly'. Elliot smiled at himself, renewed anxiety returning.

Laura reached for the door handle, but turned to him, first. "Don't worry. She's talked a blue streak about you, and does love you. Just...give her some time."

Elliot nodded as Laura opened the door, walking in first. "Hi Olivia," he heard Laura say. He stood in the hall for a moment, giving them some time. "I see that little Carly's still sleeping."

"Yeah," he heard Olivia, but it sounded nothing like how he remembered her. Her voice sounded raspy and tired. He also detected sadness there, but then again, under the circumstances, he wouldn't expect anything less and shouldn't have, the more he thought about it. Carly's cancer was hard on him, and he'd only known about it for a couple of hours. He couldn't imagine how Olivia felt, dealing with it for however long she's had to.

"She's been asleep since they brought her back," Olivia said, almost in a whisper. "She woke up once to throw up, but I gave her a sip of water along with her stomach pill, and she went right back to sleep."

"Is she in any pain?" Laura asked.

"You know she wouldn't tell me." Elliot couldn't be sure, but he detected a small smile playing in Olivia's voice, which made him smile, as well. He knew why he'd left, but he'd never get over how bad he felt about doing that. He knew he was only trying to protect Liv and her girls, but still...

"I'll give you a bottle of her pain pills, just to be on the safe side," Laura replied. "If she's still in pain, don't hesitate to call me."

"I won't."

"But the way," Laura said, a hint of mystery in her tone. "I found someone wandering the hallways, asking about Carly when I was about to come down here."

Again, and Elliot could never be sure, but he thought he heard Olivia gasp. "Who?"

"Yeah, who?" And then another voice filled the room, only he knew it couldn't have been Carly, because the voice was deeper, as if it was coming from another young woman. It couldn't be Kate, as Vanessa was watching her so it had to have been Abby.

Memories of her as a child filled his head. _He remembered Abby when he'd first met her. She'd been five-and-a-half. Her brown hair had been pulled up in pigtails and she'd worn a red oversized dress __with sunflowers on it. At that time, her mother had only been with SVU for two weeks, by then, when Olivia had brought her and Katie to work with her. He'd been confused, and questioned Olivia. Kids were welcome at SVU, but not an all day everyday thing, especially when the parent or guardian was working. When she told him why, however, his entire demeanor had changed._

"_My husband's in town...he's after us."_

_Olivia's ex-husband had hit them all, traumatizing both girls tremendously. At the time, Katie, who'd been a baby, didn't even try to talk and Abby barely did, at all. She didn't have the chance to be a real kid, to his way of thinking._

_When he sat down with little Abby later, she looked up at him with those big brown eyes that were so like her mother's._ _"Elliot," she said timidly. He thought something more was wrong than just hitting since the little girl was quiet for so long. Finally, she looked_

_up at him, a small smile playing on her lips. "May I call you uncle Ellie?"_

_Elliot couldn't help but smile and feel proud at that moment, but he laughed at the name. "Ellie?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard her correctly._

_She looked up at him, wondering what the problem was. "Yeah," she said, very seriously._

_Elliot could see that she wasn't joking about it, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Okay then," he said, giving the little girl a big hug. "Uncle Ellie it is."_

Elliot was brought back into the present by Abby's voice, once more. "No one else was supposed to visit today. Uncle Fin and Munch had to work, and Grandpa Don—well, he's busy."

Elliot had to smile at that. He surely had been busy, so far. But then, remembering what Don was having to do caused Elliot to worry some more. He knew he should've been there, but being here was just as important. Don could handle it. And if Elliot was needed, Don knew how to reach him. Well, at least _now _he did.

"Well, this person I've never seen here before," he heard Laura reply as she stepped out of the room, motioning towards him. "But I'm sure you've been anxious to see him, again."

Olivia had absolutely no idea of what she was talking about...until Elliot came into the room. She gripped the arm of her chair as she tried to bite back a cry: not a sad cry, nor a cry for her, but for her daughter, whose wish was finally coming true.

* * *

><p>I decided to end it there, because it seemed best. Please, PLEASE let me know what you think :)<p>

For the next chapter... How will Olivia react to Elliot being back? What about Abby? And what will Carly do when she finds out that her Christmas wish is finally coming true?

And what about Vanessa, who's at Olivia's house with Kate...what does Vanessa have up her sleeve, and is somebody else involved other than the Stabler children? Stay tuned...and I'll post quicker if I get a lot of reviews!

~*Missy*~


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia couldn't believe her eyes as she saw the man standing before her. "Elliot," she whispered, wondering if it was just a dream. She knew it had to be, after all. Years she spent looking for him, and suddenly Cragen had found him just like that! It was preposterous.

Then she stood, walking over to him ever-so-slowly and touching his arm. The touch, the sense that ran through her as she felt him so close to her, again. Now she knew that he had to be real.

"I'll leave you for a while," Laura interrupted, a small smile on her face. "I'll be back–"

"No," Olivia cut in, and all eyes were on her. She took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself down before she looked back at Laura. "No, Laura...we'll go and talk somewhere else, just in case Carly wakes back up." Then she looked at both Laura and Abby. "This stays a secret between us, for now, is that clear?"

Both nodded like small children who had huge grins on their faces. Olivia motioned for Elliot to follow her, and soon they were walking down the hall...until Olivia felt the need to sit, the shock of everything now overpowering her.

She saw that Elliot looked concerned, but she shook her head with a small smile. "I just...need a moment, Elliot. I also need to find Cragen and kick his ass."

Elliot just laughed at that, knowing that, more than likely, Olivia was supposed to have been the one to tell Elliot about Carly, not Cragen.

Just when Olivia had gathered her thoughts and was about to stand up, a young girl, around the same age as Carly ran over to Olivia, throwing her arms around her neck. "Hi Livy," she greeted with a smile. Like Carly, she was bald but she had a pink and purple scarf wrapped around her head.

Olivia looked a little surprised. "Well, hi Marlee. How're you doing, today?"

"Perfect," the young girl said as she stood back up, twirling around. "I didn't have chemo today." But then she stood solemn, sighing. "Which means that Carly did have chemo."

Olivia only nodded.

"Well, I'll get her something to make her feel better," Marlee replied, finally noticing Elliot sitting right beside of Olivia. "Who're you?"

"Elliot Stabler," he said, chuckling as he reached his hand out to shake hers. Marlee did so, then realization soon struck her.

"You're Carly's dad!" she said a little too loudly. Olivia quieted her, and she looked sheepish. "Sorry, it's just...I'm SO excited!" She turned back to Elliot. "You're all she's talked about for weeks, now."

Elliot smiled modestly.

Then Marlee raised a bald eyebrow that had purple marker drawn in its place. "Wait...why have you never been around, if you don't mind me asking?" she said hastily.

Olivia looked at the two of them. She knew it wasn't all Elliot's fault, and the fact that he was here now proved as much. She cut in, "he just wasn't, but he's always loved Carly, and now he's here."

Marlee nodded, letting it drop at that. She was about to scurry away, when Olivia gently grabbed her arm. "You won't be telling Carly about her dad, yet...will you," she said, not meaning it as a question.

"I'll try not to," she replied sheepishly. "But my brain tumor makes me forget, some, so I can't promise anything." She'd said it with a straight face, but then smiled, causing Olivia to shake her head.

"You and Carly always have to go with the black humor?" Olivia asked Marlee, and she simply nodded. Olivia just sighed. "Well, where are you off to?"

"The library," Marlee said, adding, "if I can remember how to get there."

Olivia rubbed her hand on her head. Another joke! "Okay, go...before I tell nurse Laura to lock you up."

Marlee laughed. "Bye Livy, bye Elliot." And she scurried off.

Elliot then turned to Olivia, chuckling. "She's something, all right."

Olivia laughed. "Oh, they all are up here, but...Marlee and Carly seem the worse about black humor jokes. Since Marlee has a brain tumor, she sometimes pretends to forget things, and Carly..." She looked back at Elliot, who looked interested in what she was saying but she could tell that he was sad. Sad for Carly, for herself, and sad that he hadn't been around to help in all this. She cleared her throat. "Carly likes to tell little jokes. She has leukemia, so her's are mostly blood related jokes. But they get along well with each other."

Elliot smiled, kind of sad like, and nodded. "I can tell. Marlee seems like she cares a lot about her."

"She does." Olivia looked back at him, and, seeing how sad he must've felt made her feel sad, herself. They finally got up, walking down to the recreation room, which was empty at this time. They sat down on one of the couches, and Olivia turned so that she was facing him. "I don't blame you. And...I did try to find you throughout the years, but I...I never could."

Elliot watched as Olivia bowed her head sadly. He reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "I know. Cragen told me everything. He even told me that Carly had cancer, even though he knew you'd want to kill him."

Olivia laughed at that, wiping her cheeks away of a few tears that had fallen. "Oh, I will get back at him, but I...I'm grateful for what he did, at the same time."

Elliot nodded, but at the same time he knew they were losing precious time. He had to bring up what he'd been dreading all along. "Listen, I need to tell you what I discussed with Cragen, before it's too late."

Olivia looked up at him, surprised, wondering what in the hell he was talking about.

"It's about Vanessa."

* * *

><p>When Carly woke up around the same time, she felt a lot better. She was still in pain, but she wanted to be awake, so she did her best to ignore it. She sat up, stretching and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she opened them, she saw her oldest sister and her favorite nurse, Laura, sitting at her bedside. They had the TV on, but didn't seem to really be enjoying what was on. Carly wouldn't either. <em>Stupid Soap Opera's. <em>Finally, she smiled at the two, saying, "hello."

Both turned to look at her and Abby turned off the television. "Well hello sleepyhead. You finally awake?" Laura asked, pretending to chide her.

Carly shrugged her. "What can I say? Those drugs like to knock me out, good."

Both laughed, shaking their heads. Carly could tell that something was up, but her brain felt kind of fuzzy and she couldn't think of how to ask them about it, so instead she asked, "where's mom?"

Laura was checking her IV's, so it was Abby who answered. "I think she just went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. I brought you some food, however. It's in the fridge down the hall, if you're up to eating it."

Carly scrunched her nose for a moment. "It's not cafeteria food, I hope," she said, causing both women to laugh.

"No," Abby replied, shaking her head. "It's mom's recipe spaghetti. I made some this morning, and if I do say so myself, I think I did a more than decent job, at it."

Carly giggled. Her stomach felt less queasy, so she didn't think it would revolt at her sister's cooking. She was actually a rather good cook. "I...think I could eat some."

"All right," Abby said, standing up and leaning over Carly, kissing her bald head. "I'll be right back, then. I just need to go get it and heat it up," she said, leaving the room.

That's when Carly turned to Laura, who'd gotten another IV and was hooking her up to it from the catheter that was in her chest. She took this opportunity to ask, since they were so close and Laura couldn't really ever lie to her. Carly assumed it was in her job description. "So Laura...what's going on?"

Laura hooked the IV tubing in her catheter, releasing the clamp, letting it flow into her veins. She sat down on Carly's bed, looking at her. "What makes you think that anything's going on?"

"Because, I'm not stupid," she flatly replied. "You and Abby are acting like giddy schoolgirls. It doesn't take a genius to see that something's up."

Laura looked at her, shaking her head. "You're too smart for your own good, miss Carly-Jo. However, I'm not at liberty to say. It isn't medical, I will say that much. But I think it's best if your mother tells you."

Carly looked around the room, sighing. "Yeah...whenever that'll be."

* * *

><p>Down the hall, Elliot had just told Olivia what was going on with Abby's friend Vanessa, and how his ex-wife Kathy might be involved. Olivia jumped up. "I have to go see if she's okay."<p>

Elliot jumped up right alongside her, gently grabbing her arm. "Cragen's taking care of it. He said he'd call me if anything's wrong."

Olivia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "This is just...it can't be. Why? Why would they want to mess around with Carly like this? She's done nothing! She's just a sweet little girl who had the unfortunate chance of getting cancer, and now they're doing this? Why?"

Elliot rubbed her arm, trying to calm her down. "I don't think it's all Vanessa. I think it has to do with Kathy, really. She's wanting to get back at me, and she's using Maureen and Nicholas...and even Vanessa, to do so. Abby didn't have a hand in this, other than trusting someone that she shouldn't have."

Olivia nodded, trying to collect her thoughts. "So what're we supposed to do? Just wait?"

Elliot took a moment, before nodding. "I think that's all we really can do. We're too closely related to the people in this case to get involved, so we just have to wait and see." Then he looked into Olivia's eyes and, seeing how scared she was, replied, "Cragen won't let anything happen to Katie. And I will _never _leave you again. Understand?"

Olivia looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "Promise?"

Elliot smiled a small smile, nodding. "Promise."

So they waited, trying to gather their thoughts before Carly got to meet her dad, and before Elliot got to meet his little girl. He was still nervous, but he knew that if they'd tried this hard to find him, then Carly would be able to forgive him. He hoped.

* * *

><p>Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I haven't been feeling too great. I'm feeling better now, and I should have a new chapter up in the next couple of days. Please review, and let me now how you're liking it so far!<p>

~*Missy*~


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